How LA County is trying to remake addiction treatment — no more 'business as usual'
LOS ANGELES -- Gary Horejsi wrestled with the decision before him, knowing a life could be in his hands.
It was the third time that the woman had used drugs or alcohol since coming to CRI-Help, which runs a 135-bed residential facility in North Hollywood where people are treated for substance use disorder.
CRI-Help needed to be a safe place for people grappling with their addictions. In the past, others had been removed for less. Horejsi, the clinical director, had the final say on whether she should be discharged.
He perused her file on his computer. The woman was still trying, CRI-Help staffers told him. She hadn't shared drugs with anyone. And if she were to leave, the risks of an overdose were graver than before.
Horejsi decided to let her stay.
"Things can't be business as usual anymore," their chief executive, Brandon Fernandez, later said at a CRI-Help staff meeting. If someone leaves treatment and resumes using drugs the same way they were before, "that could very well look like them dying."
"So are we going to be willing to do something different?"
Fernandez had gathered CRI-Help staff in their North Hollywood conference room to
